142. The Commission recalled the main elements of the Action Plan adopted by the 22nd Session of the Commission (1997)[70], and considered the Draft Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Application in the Framework of the Codex Alimentarius that had been developed as part of the Action Plan by the Committee on General Principles.
143. The Delegation of Italy, speaking on behalf of the Member States of the European Union, expressed the view that paragraph 10 addressing the situation when scientific data were insufficient entailed a review of current food safety standards. The delegation also supported the further development of risk analysis principles intended for application by governments, currently under discussion in the Committee on General Principles.
144. Other delegations pointed out that the adoption of these recommendations did not imply a systematic review of all current standards but that a review should be carried out when required for a specific standard. The Commission endorsed the view of the Executive Committee that existing standards may be reassessed on a case-by-case basis and noted that member countries could always propose the revision of a standard when new scientific data became available.
145. The Commission noted that the recommendation of the Action Plan referred to an introductory narrative on risk analysis and identification of the responsibilities of Committees. The Commission however agreed with the recommendation of the Executive Committee that an introduction was not necessary as the Principles were sufficiently clear as an independent document.
146. The Commission adopted the Working Principles for Risk Analysis for Application in the Framework of the Codex Alimentarius and the Definitions related to risk analysis as contained in Appendix IV to this report.
147. The Commission requested that relevant Codex Committees develop or complete specific guidelines on risk analysis in their respective areas, for inclusion in the Procedural Manual, as recommended in the Action Plan mentioned above. The Commission noted that these texts would be submitted to the Committee on General Principles in order to ensure coordination of work and consistency with the overarching Working Principles.
148. The Delegation of Sudan, supported by the Delegation of Nigeria, indicated that the current provisions for Gum Arabic should be revised in the light of the Working Principles. The Commission noted that Gum Arabic was not currently under discussion in the Commission or Codex Committees and noted that the Delegation of Sudan could raise this issue in the Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants and propose a revision of the evaluation of Gum Arabic in the light of new data.
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[69] ALINORM 03/26/6, ALINORM
03/33A Appendix IV. [70] ALINORM 97/37, paras. 160-167. |
